


September 2015

by torturingtaylor (itzaimster)



Series: HansonRoswell Side Stories [2]
Category: Hanson
Genre: Aliens, Gen, Mutant Powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 13:13:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4788476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzaimster/pseuds/torturingtaylor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of the HansonRoswell universe. HansonRoswell was/is an RPG founded on the Roswell crash and the aliens descended from it, which happen to include Hanson (and dozens of other crossovers). Most characters are already established.</p>
<p>In this tie-in, Taylor has a request for help from an unlikely source. Christian comes along for protection and discovers Taylor's loyalty may not entirely be where it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	September 2015

“Hello?” Natalie answered the phone.  
“Don’t panic,” the voice came through, “but I need you to take the kids and run.”  
Natalie froze for a moment, not comprehending.  
“Steel? Is that you?”  
“Just tell me you can get out.”  
“Steel Tay’s not here,” she could feel the icy grip of fear creeping into her chest, “he’s in New York with Avie.”  
“I know. Don’t worry, we’ll find him. Just get the kids somewhere safe and we’ll connect later.”  
She flinched as the line dropped out.

“How are you going to get to Taylor?” Chloe pulled a face.  
“Chris is still in New York,” Kirk was already dialling another number, “he’ll find him.”  
He cursed in his head as the call took a while to connect.  
“Hey, Jonas! Need you to connect me to Chris. Have you seen him on the street?”

Christian paused and looked back over his shoulder.  
The public phone he’d just passed had started ringing. There was no one else on the street. It could only mean one of two things.  
Either way, someone had found him.  
Grudgingly, he walked back to pick up the receiver.  
“Chris?”  
“Steel?” he frowned, “what the fuck man-“  
“I need you to go get Taylor for me.”  
Christian paused, and his eyebrows rose.  
“You what?”  
“I need you to-“  
“I heard what you said,” he scorned, “elaborate.”  
There was a sigh on the other end.  
“His family’s in trouble. I don’t know how, but word about what happened with Guffrey has gotten out, and a few people for some reason want in on it themselves.”  
“Who’s after them?” Christian’s eyes scanned the street.  
A pause.  
“Steel? Don’t bullshit me here, who’s after them? What do they want?”  
“It’s Rafferty.”  
“Since when has he ever been a threat?” Christian scowled.  
“Since he teamed up with John Doe.”  
Christian froze, his eyes falling to the dirt.  
“The original John Doe? He’s still around.”  
“Afraid so.”  
“Shit,” Christian cursed, “where is he?”  
“He’s with Avery. I take it you know where that is.”  
Christian rolled his eyes.  
“Of course I do,” he muttered, “and what do I do when I find him?”  
“Get him somewhere safe. Let him stay with you if need be. I’ll keep an eye on things and I’ll keep in touch.”  
“Sure you will. You know, this feels a lot like stalking.”  
“I haven’t even contacted you in months!”  
“Exactly, yet you knew where to find me,” Christian smirked.  
“Well if you’d bother to get a cell phone-“  
“I have a cell, you’re just not getting the number,” he hung up the phone.

“What the-“  
“You need to come with me,” Christian said flatly.  
“Excuse me?”  
Christian sighed, frustrated.  
“You’re in danger and you need to come with me. Steel can’t find you.”  
“Don’t tell me Steel doesn’t know I’m here,” Taylor scoffed.  
“Oh he knows, but he can’t find you on the ground because of the…” Christian indicated his head, “is Avie around?”  
“She’s at work,” Taylor looked over his shoulder, “I can call her. Is she in danger?”  
“No, just you guys. Steel got Nat out already, I think.”  
“You think?”  
“Just come with me,” Christian scorned, stepping aside, “don’t make this harder than it has to be.”  
“Can I at least grab my stuff?”  
“Stuff?” Christian’s brow furrowed, “what stuff?”  
“My coat,” Taylor turned back into the apartment.  
Christian caught the door before it could close, already cursing inside his head at how long it was taking. While Taylor probably wasn’t in immediate danger, it wouldn’t take long for them to cotton on to where he was.  
He took seconds to grab his coat, keys and sunglasses before making sure to lock the door on his way out.  
“You have a car, right?” he asked as the key turned.  
“Since when do I have a car?” Christian smirked, walking away.

“So what’s the plan?” Taylor pulled his coat on once they hit the street.  
“Steel wants you to lie low until he gets the all clear.”  
“And how long will that take? Does he even know who it is?”  
“Yeah he knows,” Christian rubbed his nose awkwardly, noticing they were getting some odd looks.  
Taylor stopped in his tracks.  
“Do you?” he demanded.  
“Can we just get off the street? People are staring,” Christian said between his teeth.  
“You do, don’t you?”  
Christian grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into an alley.   
“Yes, I do,” he admitted as Taylor moved his sunglasses onto his head, “and it’s no one I want to mess with.”  
“Since when?” Taylor frowned, catching Christian’s pheromones easily.  
His back straightened.  
“You’re scared,” he realised, suddenly a lot more wary.  
“I’m not scared, I’m worried. There’s a difference,” Christian insisted, letting the coat go, “and I want to get off the streets before anyone realises we’re both here.”  
“Who is it?” Taylor demanded, “is it someone Craig worked with?”  
“It’s someone Craig refused to work with. You wouldn’t know him. But he was an associate of Guffrey’s way back when.”  
A look of realisation crossed Taylor’s face and he could feel it flush red.  
“This is about Guffrey?” he clued in, “are they after Ezra?”  
“They shouldn’t be,” Christian attempted to sate him, “we should have taken care of everyone who even knew about Ezra. No one should be looking for him, no one expects another borrower for at least a couple more generations.”  
“Mine and Nat’s relationship isn’t exactly off the grid,” Taylor looked back into the street with worry, “someone’s got to put two and two together eventually.”  
“What, that your spawn is harbouring one of the rarest powers of our species?” Christian smirked, “no one even cares that much.”  
“Except Guffrey,” Taylor’s eyes met his, “except people like Blakesley. Except hunters. Except the Council.”  
“Anyone who would have looked into it already knows your history with the likes of them,” Christian stepped aside, “and they know about me. Now let’s just get you somewhere safe until Steel sorts his shit out.”  
Taylor looked back into the street disgruntled, but followed him nonetheless.

“So what are you doing in New York anyway?” Taylor asked as he removed his coat, “you still fucking my sister?”  
Christian shot his innocent look a glare.  
“I am not fucking your sister,” he scorned, “it was one time.”  
Taylor smirked at that.  
“Okay but it was _around_ one time. I’ve got reasons to be here other than Avery.”  
“Like your art?” Taylor set the coat on a rickety chair before pulling his sunglasses from where he’d tucked them into his shirt.  
“Something like that,” Christian disappeared through an alcove.  
Taylor looked around the small space, wondering how Christian always seemed to find such dirty accommodation. He could already hear rats in the space, despite not being able to see them.  
He heard water running and figured Christian had gone to the bathroom, so decided to take a seat on the well-worn sofa to wait. When he finally emerged wiping his face, Taylor did a double take.  
“Your eyes look darker,” he frowned.  
“It’s the lighting,” Christian shrugged, throwing the towel aside and making his way to the sofa, “they haven’t changed since I last saw you.”  
Taylor didn’t look away as Christian took his seat with a sigh.  
“Did you call Avie?” he asked.  
“On the way here,” Taylor nodded, “she’ll stay at a friend’s tonight just in case.”  
“Good.”  
They sat in awkward silence for a moment, Taylor starting to twiddle his thumbs.  
“You know it’s not necessarily the most civil way to greet someone who’s spent the last ten years of his life saving yours,” Christian pointed out suddenly.  
“Ten years?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose, “really?”  
“Yes, really,” Christian was haughty, “it was like 2004 or something when this started.”  
“2003, when Craig took Avery,” Taylor corrected.  
“Whatever. It’s not like I knew who you were,” Christian rubbed his face again.  
“You knew who I was,” Taylor scoffed, “you said so yourself the first time we met.”  
“Yeah but I didn’t _know_.”  
Taylor watched him avoid eye contact for a while before sitting himself back into the sofa. He continued looking around a little while, wishing he’d brought his cell phone with him.  
“So what do you do here?” he asked.  
“Sleep,” Christian looked confused as to why he’d ask.  
Taylor suddenly clicked that this room was it. Living, kitchen and bedroom all in one. Yet all it had aside from a sink were the couch and chair.  
“You don’t have a bed?” his brow furrowed.  
“Why would I need one? This is fine,” Christian indicated the couch.  
Taylor shook his head, again reminded of how utterly different their lives had always been.

“Are you sure this has nothing to do with Ezra?” Taylor broke the long silence that followed.  
Christian groaned.  
“No seriously, how would you know?” Taylor demanded, “or what if it’s Penny? Or _Nat_? You said this guy was an associate of Guffrey, what else could he want?!”  
“You want the truth?”  
“Of course I want the truth!”  
“I don’t know,” Christian said slowly for him, “I don’t know what they want, and I doubt that Steel knows what they want. Maybe it is Ezra. Maybe it’s you. We don’t know yet.”  
Taylor grunted and put his head in his hands.  
“This is never going to end,” he commiserated, “there is always going to be someone, or something out there. My kids’ kids, and theirs, just… always.”  
“You’re probably right,” Christian shrugged.  
It took him a moment to see Taylor’s look.  
“What?” he shrugged, “you wanted the apple pie version? Sorry, it’s not my style. Yes there is probably always going to be someone after you, and even if we got rid of the Dathrian threat there’s always going to be threats from the humans too.”  
“We can’t run our entire lives,” Taylor shook his head.  
“Hey you’re doing well so far,” Christian bumped his shoulder, causing a scoff.  
“I wouldn’t call my run ‘doing well’.”  
“You’re still alive,” Christian pointed out, “maybe mostly because of Natalie, or Tanya, but still alive. I’d say that’s a win.”  
Taylor scoffed.  
“And now that you have kids?” Christian leant forward, “it’s your job to make sure they win too. That they stay alive. To do that, you have to teach them self-defence.”  
“I can’t do that,” Taylor shook his head, “not where their powers are concerned.”  
“You think your parents didn’t teach you?” Christian’s brow rose.  
“They didn’t have time,” Taylor replied honestly, “not with Dad on the Council and us with the band and there were seven of us for Mom to watch…”  
He shook his head.  
“I wouldn’t even know how to start. How do you teach someone like Ezra how to defend themselves when he won’t even know what tools he has?”  
“The way that Christina taught me,” Christian was serious, “powerless.”  
“Chris they’re just kids. I’m not putting them through anything Christina did to you.”  
“You’re missing the point,” he grit his teeth, “how often were you not in charge of your faculties when Blakesley came calling? How often was Isaac? Yes, they’re helpful, but if you have a Dathrian coming at you they probably already know what your abilities are and are coming ready to counter them. Even I couldn’t dodge two darts the day Leroy picked me up.”  
“Did you ever find out who was after you that day?” Taylor raised a brow.  
“Yes. They’re dead,” Christian brushed over, “look I don’t mind showing your kids a few things, but I doubt your wife’s going to want me around the house for that long. The very least you could do is let them take defence classes or something. Maybe talk to Tanya and see if there’s anything available that will let them use their manipulation.”  
“I might do that,” Taylor relented, his eyes down, “at the very least she should have an idea of how to help us. She seems as interested in the kids’ development as she has been in mine, and Ezra and Kit are still good friends.”  
Christian paused at that.  
“How is Kit?” he asked.  
“He’s doing well, he hasn’t been sick or anything,” Taylor assured, “I’m sorry you haven’t been able to see him.”  
“Doesn’t matter,” Christian shrugged, “not like he’s my kid or anything.”  
There was an awkward moment of silence between them, Taylor not knowing what to say to that.

“How is Isaac?” Christian eventually asked.  
“Good. They’re all good. We’ve been working hard,” Taylor nodded, “I’ve been working with one of his sons quite a bit, with Avery.”  
Christian hesitated thoughtfully before looking across.  
“One of them had Disruption,” he remembered.  
“Yeah, Monroe,” Taylor agreed, “we don’t have anyone around with Null so he’s been disrupting my power and Avery’s been working with me to… I don’t know, learn some things. So I’m not so dependent on it.”  
“It’s a good idea,” Christian nodded, “you were pretty helpless without it from memory.”  
“I don’t want to go through that again,” Taylor shook his head, “ever. I need to know what’s going on when it switches off in case I ever find myself in that situation again.”  
“I highly doubt you will,” Christian mused, “but hey, you never know.”  
“You never know,” Taylor agreed.  
“Is English your first language?” Christian asked suddenly, “or is it Dathrian?”  
“What do you mean?” Taylor was confused.  
“Don’t patronise me, you know what I mean,” Christian made him smirk, “I could string random words together and you’d still know what I was talking about. But I mean like when it all turns off.”  
Christian wasn’t sure if he were saying it right, “or what do you think in? When you think and you talk to yourself in your head, what language are you talking in?”  
Taylor kept the look on his face, forced to stop and think about it.  
“You do consciously choose what language you’re talking in, right?” Christian checked.  
“Of course,” Taylor shrugged.  
“So what if you don’t think about it, what comes out?”  
“Nothing, I have to think about it,” Taylor shrugged, “I have to make the conscious decision to speak English. I can’t just choose whatever and go with it.”  
“So what do you think in?” Christian was staring, “what language is the running commentary in your head?”  
“I don’t know,” Taylor shrugged, “I guess it changes day to day?”  
“So you don’t have a ‘first’ language?” Christian’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.  
“I guess not,” he shook his head.  
“That’s weird man.”  
Taylor chuckled under his breath.  
“But you’re learning English with the Disruption,” Christian confirmed.  
“Yeah, but it’s a slow process,” he shrugged again, “I certainly have a new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into the kids’ schoolwork, I can tell you that. Though I know Ezra’s been cheating a little.”  
“Taking your power?” Christian couldn’t hide his amusement.  
“Yes, and he’s starting to get good enough at hiding it that we don’t even know he has it. I have to trick him into talking another language in order to catch him out.”  
“So what if you’re not around while he’s working?” Christian suggested, “what if you just go to work or whatever?”  
“It doesn’t matter, he can hold it as long as he wants to,” Taylor looked up at a sharp knock on the door.

Christian shot to his feet and headed for it. He stooped a little to look through a small crack in the door, before indicating for Taylor to join him.  
“What is it?” he kept his voice down, following him over.  
Before he got there a second sharp knock came, followed by “NYPD, open up!”  
Taylor gave Christian a confused look before Christian indicated the hole.  
‘Read them’ he mouthed, stepping back.  
Taylor ducked in front of him to peer through the small gap. He could clearly see one man in uniform, another person just out of view to the left. His eye drifted to the man’s face just as he turned his head.  
“Mister Thomas! We know you’re in there!” came a female voice as a third knock sounded.  
Taylor shook his head to indicate that he couldn’t get a reading, and Christian pulled him back by the shoulder. He indicated for him to go back to the couch and Taylor obliged.  
He went to stand behind it as Christian stopped to steady his breath. Giving Taylor one last glance, he unbolted the door and pulled it open.

Though he expected it, Taylor jumped at the crash as the door hit the wall.  
“GET BACK!” the male had his pistol aimed at Christian right off the bat.  
“Don’t scream!” Christian’s first reaction was to warn Taylor.  
Taylor just shook his head and stayed where he was as the female – half the man’s size – trained her gun on him. He could already tell they weren’t regular firearms.  
“Which one’s which?” she asked, almost worried.  
Taylor’s eyes shot to Christian, wondering if he’d spotted the guns. His hands were in the air but his eyes were on the weapons. He must have made the connection.  
“This one’s the telekinetic,” the man indicated Christian.  
The female lowered her weapon.  
“Who are you?” Christian demanded, making Taylor instantly wary that he didn’t already know.  
“We’re not here for you,” the man insisted.  
“If you want him, you gotta go through me,” Christian shrugged.  
“That won’t be a problem,” the female insisted, instead training her weapon on him as well.  
Christian’s eyes darted between them, before he took a deep breath and sighed.  
“Let’s get this party started,” he smiled.  
With a blink the man flew into the wall. The woman fired her dart gun just as fast, Christian catching the dart in mid-air. She froze as she watched him pluck it from its position, not hesitating before throwing it back toward her. The dart caught her in the arm and she was too dumbfounded to remove it fast enough.  
“Chris!” Taylor exclaimed – but too late.  
The man had fired his weapon from where he’d fallen to the floor, and just as Christian had turned to deflect it the dart caught him in the throat.  
He grunted as he took a step back, pulling it out and quickly checking how much had gone in. He frowned when he noticed the colour of the liquid.  
“What is this?” he demanded, eyes going to the woman who certainly looked afraid – but not tired at all.  
“It’s not a sedative?” Taylor confirmed from the other side of the room.  
The man groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, casually starting to reload the gun. Taylor bent over the couch a little, ready to duck if he had to.  
“No, it isn’t,” the man agreed, casting his partner a glance, “it’s a Null elixir. I believe you know who to thank for that.”  
Christian looked back at Taylor. Taylor could feel his skin crawling just from the look in his eyes.  
“The Null elixir was a Blakesley project,” Christian said before turning back, “how the hell did you end up with it? That project should have been canned.”  
“And it was, as far as the American government was concerned,” the man assured, “if only temporarily. We’re sure they’ll pick it up again soon. In the meantime, we have the only known supply of the compound that actually works. We should be making good money off it in no time.”  
Taylor winced as he sunk even lower. He couldn’t let himself be hit with one of the darts. Especially not now that he knew what they were.  
“I’m gonna ask you one more time,” Christian said slowly, “and then I’m going to kick your ass. Who are you?”  
“Who I am doesn’t matter,” he replied absently, giving his partner a look that prompted her to reload her own dart gun.  
He took a cell phone from his back pocket and dialled on it one-handed.  
“What matters is who hired me and what they want.”  
“And what do they want?” Taylor’s nerves were showing, “why are they after me? Why have they-“  
He cut off as the phone was thrown to him. He caught it awkwardly, seeing already that the line was connected.  
Giving Christian a glance to make sure he wasn’t planning anything, he apprehensively put the phone to his ear.

“Mr Hanson? Are you there?” came an unfamiliar voice.  
“Who is this?” was his first question, keeping one eye on Christian and one on the intruders.  
“My name is Damien Rafferty. I’m sorry we couldn’t meet in person.”  
“So am I,” Taylor kept his voice even.  
“I’ll make this quick Mr Hanson. I have a problem that I need your help with.”  
“This is an odd way of asking for help,” Taylor locked eyes with Christian, who began to look confused.  
“I know, I didn’t mean for it to be this dramatic. But desperate needs… and all that.”  
“What do you want me to do?” Taylor went ahead and assumed he wanted something translated.  
“You? Nothing.”  
Taylor frowned.  
“But I believe you can help me find who I need. I sent someone to your house this morning. By the time they got there, your family was gone.”  
Taylor could feel his face flushing and he suddenly avoided eye contact with everyone in the room.  
“My Finder was having trouble narrowing a location. Almost as though they were there one minute and gone the next. Seeing as you seem to have sought protection for yourself already, I’m betting you can tell me where they’ve gone.”  
“Before this conversation goes any further, you need to tell me what you want,” Taylor’s voice lowered, “or you’re not getting anything.”  
Christian shifted slightly, still keeping his eye on the guns but paying close attention to Taylor’s mood.  
“I have a dear friend, Mr Hanson. He’s in a spot of trouble,” Rafferty began to explain, “he has recently sustained a brain injury, and while this doesn’t affect his memory or personality, the injury has taken its toll on his ability to shapeshift.”  
Taylor’s frown turned to one of confusion.  
“It has gotten to a point where he cannot control it, and I fear – as I imagine you have at some point – exposure. I have many human associates and I doubt any one of them would look on such a change with too much understanding.”  
“We’re not healers, I don’t know what you think we can do for you,” Taylor shrugged.  
“Did I mention that my friend is a Ka’millen?”  
Taylor paused as he realised what – rather who – Rafferty really wanted.   
“And if she doesn’t want to help?” he thought he’d test.  
“I don’t expect charity from you. I will make it worth your while,” Rafferty assured, “as I mentioned, he’s a very dear friend.”  
“What are you offering?”  
There came a pause from the other end, and Taylor used the moment to check on Christian. He hadn’t moved.  
“Protection,” he finally replied, “you’re a man of many enemies. I can only imagine how many more you may end up with. Excluding Guffrey, of course. Unfortunately you’ll have to deal with him yourself.”  
“I have no idea who you are, how do I know what that’s worth?” Taylor demanded, “what do you really have to offer me?”  
“Go ahead and ask your little friend. He knows me very well.”

Taylor’s eyes shot to Christian again. It didn’t take long for him to notice.  
“What?” he frowned.  
Taylor took the phone from his ear, struggling with himself whether to ask him at all.  
But he didn’t know what this offer was worth. Rafferty was right, they already had enough enemies to last a lifetime.   
“Would you trust Rafferty?” he asked straight out.  
“That’s a loaded question.”  
“Seriously,” Taylor gave the intruders another glance.  
They were already getting impatient, and more and more uneasy the longer they spent in the room.  
“Seriously?” Christian had to stop to consider, “Rafferty is a man of his word. As long as you _get_ his word. He’s mostly harmless you just need to watch who he’s working with.”  
“What power does he have?”  
“Telepathy, lower level. Under Craig.”  
Taylor rolled his eyes at yet another telepathic criminal.   
“Craig trusted him,” Christian added somewhat solemnly, “which means I trust him.”  
“By default or with reason?”  
“With reason,” Christian assured, “now tell me why.”  
Taylor looked toward the man with the gun, wondering if he knew what he’d actually been sent to do. If he didn’t, he wasn’t about to expose his daughter’s power to an unknown.  
He took a moment to think of how to word it appropriately.  
“He needs help,” he settled on, “and he needs one of my kids for it. I don’t think anyone else can help with this.”  
“If he’s desperate, he’ll give you his word,” Christian was certain, “and if you’re still worried, tell him I’m coming with.”  
“He’s offered me protection in return,” Taylor was evidently still worried, “he said you’d know what that was worth.”  
“Not as much as Steel’s,” Christian shrugged, “but it’s not as if you have people lining up to offer. I’d say take the offer.”  
Taylor paused again purely to pull himself together before returning the phone to his ear.  
“The deal is this,” he said firmly, “quick in and out, unless you want to meet us somewhere semi-public.”  
“That will be a ‘no’,” Rafferty returned.  
“Then it’s a quick in and out, and both Christian and I will accompany her. No one lays a hand on her, no one even looks at her sideways. If I find out anyone has used a power on her, you will wish you could swap places with Blakesley. Do you understand me?”  
“Perfectly,” Taylor could tell he was pleased.  
“No Finders on site,” he added, “we will maintain telepathic connection with my sister the entire time.”  
“You have no need to worry about my upsetting Avery Hanson.”  
“I guess I don’t,” Taylor kept his voice confident, “so how do we do this?”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Natalie was not happy.  
“So do I,” Taylor admitted, “thanks for coming, Tony.”  
“It’s no problem, as usual,” the teleporter assured, “give me a call when you’re done and I’ll take you back to Georgia.”  
“Thanks,” Natalie offered a forced smile before her transport disappeared.  
“Where are we going?” Penny asked, taking her father’s hand.  
“I’m not sure Pen,” Taylor admitted, “so I guess we’ll find out together.”  
“Ready?” Christian’s brow rose, having stepped out of the room as Natalie had arrived.  
He was holding the cell phone that had been left behind for them.  
“You’ll stay with her, right?” Natalie demanded, “don’t let her out of your sight for a second!”  
“I swear,” Christian insisted, “I know what these guys are like.”  
“He took good care of Avie when Craig took us in,” Taylor tried to sate her fear a little.  
“But he didn’t take good care of you,” she hit back.  
Christian scowled at that before looking through the phone for its previous caller.  
“That was twelve years ago,” Taylor said under his breath.  
“I’m aware,” Natalie put a hand on Penny’s shoulder before kneeling down to talk to her.  
Taylor took a deep breath before focusing on Christian. He hadn’t hit dial yet and was mumbling under his breath.  
“Are we a go?” he attempted to snap him out of it, “you know she doesn’t mean it, she’s just worried.”  
“I know, sorry,” Christian gave him a glance, “I know some people are just never going to get over it. And it’s not like I have a halo over my head or anything, I’d just like some mutual respect once in a while.”  
“You, worried about what people think of you?” Taylor teased, “that’s a first.”  
“It’s a disease,” Christian scorned, putting the phone to his ear.  
Taylor smirked, folding his arms as he looked back to where his wife and daughter were talking quietly. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, it was just kind of happening. Natalie was giving her some quick calming techniques, despite she being much more stressed about this than Penny was.  
“We’re ready,” Christian said into the phone before hanging up, “and I wasn’t even _supposed_ to be taking care of you! You weren’t supposed to be there! Plus you were already sick and Craig just thought it would be a good way to get Avery to do what he wanted. Then you had that telepathic thing going on which frankly, we wouldn’t have had to keep you sick if Craig could have just got into your head-“  
“Chris,” Taylor put a hand on his shoulder, “stop talking. It’s okay.”  
“I have never done anything to you to make you people question my loyalty,” Christian said between his teeth.  
“Well there were some questionable moments in Blakesley’s lab,” Taylor pointed out, “but I never told her about those. I never told anyone, in fact.”  
“I had to do that for my own sanity!” Christian’s voice rose, before he blanched at the look Natalie gave him.  
Thankfully, the teleporter appeared at that moment. Taylor sighed to himself knowing this was going to come up again later.  
“Christian Thomas and Taylor Hanson,” it wasn’t a question.  
“And my daughter,” Taylor indicated for Penny to take his hand.  
Natalie gave her a quick kiss before she moved to his side.  
“Cute,” the teleporter didn’t even smile, “let’s go.”  
He put a hand on Christian’s other shoulder while Taylor returned his hand to the former. The next time they blinked, they were in someone’s living room.

“Get your hand off me,” Christian locked eyes with the teleporter in warning.  
He smirked in reply, but promptly stepped back.  
“Mr Thomas! It’s been a long time!”  
Their attention drew to the left where a man who looked to be in his 50’s was approaching. He was dressed casually – a little out of place for their lush surroundings – but looked like he hadn’t had a bath in weeks.  
Penny huddled closer to Taylor’s hip.  
“Rafferty,” Christian nodded, “moving up in the world I see.”  
He indicated the city views from the floor-to-ceiling windows.   
“What can I say? I like the creature comforts. Particularly in trying times,” Rafferty’s eyes were already on Penny, “this must be Taylor Hanson and… Penelope? Is that right?”  
“Right,” Taylor replied for her, noting that he hadn’t made eye contact with him at all yet.  
Rafferty stepped closer, opting to crouch in front of her to meet her eye level. She remained partially hidden behind her father and his grip had tightened slightly on her hand.  
“Hello Penelope. My name is Damien,” he spoke softly to her, “and I am eternally grateful that you’ve made the trip across here today. I know my little friend will appreciate it also.”  
“Where is it?” Taylor attempted to get the ball rolling.  
“And where are we?” Christian was frowning, not having recognised the cityscape.  
“Manila,” Rafferty replied without taking his eyes from Penny, “have you been here before?”  
“She hasn’t,” Taylor again replied for her, “can we get this over with?”  
Christian took a step back as Rafferty stood up, keeping an eye on two men in a far doorway.   
“Very well,” he gave Christian a glance, “come with me.”

He led them through to what appeared to be a bedroom, Taylor keeping hold of Penny’s hand. Christian followed behind them absently testing his telekinesis on some glassware. He was a lot calmer having control of it again, despite taking note that the two men in the room were indeed carrying. Of course he was just assuming they were dart guns as opposed to real guns.  
Taylor paused in the room as Rafferty indicated for them to stay. He then began carefully looking around the room. Taylor glanced over his shoulder to make sure Christian had followed them in before once more focusing his attention on the telepath.  
“Something wrong?” he asked.  
“He was on the bed when I left. Unfortunately he could be anywhere, in any form,” Rafferty admitted.  
Taylor immediately began to worry that this had all been a ploy. Thinking quickly, he called out in the Ka’millen tongue.  
When Rafferty looked up curiously Taylor pointed toward the bathroom where he’d heard a grunted response.  
“He’s in there,” he indicated, glad to have finally made eye contact with the man.  
All he could sense now was worry and anxiety.  
Rafferty disappeared into the bathroom and they could hear him talking in a low voice. Christian and Taylor’s eyes met, Taylor nodded, and Christian turned his back to focus on the door instead.   
“He’s hurting,” Penny suddenly said, having emerged from behind Taylor’s hip.  
“You can sense that from here?” Taylor looked down at her.  
She nodded, looking upset.   
“It’s okay,” Taylor gave her hand a squeeze, “he’ll be okay soon.”  
Rafferty reappeared at the bathroom door looking more worried than when he’d gone in.  
“Would you…?” he indicated for them to join him.  
Taylor let go of Penny’s hand and instead put his hand on her shoulder as he led her over. As they got closer Rafferty took a step forward.  
“You’d better go in first,” he said to Taylor, “I apologise, I am aware of your abilities. They may come in handy in this instance.”  
Taylor looked confused, but looked down to his daughter.  
“Stay behind me, okay?” he insisted, not willing to lose contact with her just yet.  
Rafferty took a step back, knowing they were uncomfortable, and Taylor moved into the bathroom. What he saw took his breath away.  
Huddled into the bathtub – though it barely fit – was a fully grown male tiger.   
“Wow,” he breathed, not realising at first that Penny was trying to push past him.  
“Wait!” he insisted, “it might be dangerous!”  
She paused and he moved closer, dropping to one knee beside the bath. The tiger had his eyes open and they followed his every movement.  
 _Hey,_ he began cautiously, _someone tells me you’re not feeling too well._  
 _Is it that obvious?_ was the reply.  
 _I’m sorry,_ Taylor offered, reaching over to stroke his fur, _but we’re here to help_.  
 _You can’t help._  
 _You’re right,_ Taylor assured, _I can’t. But my daughter can._  
He looked over his shoulder and indicated to Penny that it was safe. She rushed forward and knelt down beside her Dad, quickly putting both hands in the tiger’s thick fur.  
“Be careful,” Taylor said softly, worried more for her than the animal.  
The tiger flinched, his tail flicking toward her before he shifted onto his side in the tub.  
“How long will it take?” Taylor asked softly, keeping one hand on the tiger.  
Both to keep him calm and to act as a barrier between Penny and teeth if he became agitated.  
“Not long,” Penny was concentrating elsewhere.  
Taylor opted to stay quiet and let her work.

Meanwhile, Christian had closed the door into the bedroom, figuring he’d get enough warning if anyone were to break in. Rafferty saw what he was doing and left the bathroom doorway.  
“Thank you,” he gave Christian a nod, “I’m aware you must have put in a good word for me to make this happen.”  
“It’s no big,” Christian shrugged, “you deserve it.”  
Rafferty gave him an odd look, but an appreciative smile.  
“Thanks all the same. I wasn’t sure I could count on you after… you know.”  
“After what?” Christian met his eye.  
“After they took you in,” Rafferty shrugged.  
Christian paused, before turning his body to match his eye line.  
“Rehab changed nothing,” he insisted, “I just learned how to live without Craig, and to an extent without my power.”  
“Your allegiance never came into question?”  
“Of course it did,” Christian scoffed, “but they knew I had contacts I wouldn’t give up and they still let me out. I don’t intend to break those ties. You were one of them.”  
Rafferty nodded.  
“Of course I was more surprised to find you working with someone who has ties to Guffrey,” he turned to go back to the bathroom.  
“What do you mean?” Christian frowned, making the older man pause.  
“Nothing?” he turned back, confused.  
“Taylor doesn’t have ties to Guffrey. He’s wanted, that’s all,” Christian insisted.  
“That’s not what I hear,” Rafferty shrugged innocently.  
“Then you hear wrong.”  
“Maybe your loyalties need to come under review.”  
“Not with Taylor,” Christian was determined.  
“Why do you two look so alike anyway?” Rafferty’s eyes narrowed.  
“Why are you working with John Doe?” Christian hit back.  
“Now how did you know that?” it obviously caught his attention.  
“Little bird told me,” Christian quipped, “why? What would you possibly have to offer each other? I thought he’d fucking disappeared back in the nineties like he damn well should have.”  
“You’re not afraid of him, are you?” Rafferty teased a little.  
“I’m wary,” Christian met his eye again, “I don’t even know how many times I’ve met the guy because we never know who he is.”  
“Telepaths know,” Rafferty mused, “I’d wager your father knew.”  
“He did,” Christian agreed, “and he wasn’t a fan. Why are you working with him? What are you involved in?”  
“Don’t you worry about little old me,” Rafferty insisted, “and if you’re lucky, all will be revealed in no time at all.”  
“If you’re involved in some serious shit you know I can help, right?”  
Rafferty broke into a chuckle.  
“I’m serious,” Christian insisted, “if you need my help, just name it. But don’t go playing with-“  
“Where’s the pendant, Christian?”  
Christian paused again, caught off guard.   
“What?”  
“You heard me,” Rafferty’s eyes had gone dark, “where’s the spider pendant? The one we all gave you?”  
Christian turned away, rubbing his nose awkwardly.  
“I don’t have to answer that,” he was stubborn.  
“And your shields,” Rafferty went on, “they aren’t the ones we gave you. Did Tanya do this?”  
Christian shook his head.  
“Don’t think I didn’t notice your friend in there has one too.”  
“You know who his sister is,” Christian scorned, “do you really think after all the trouble we’ve had that she wouldn’t think to do something about it herself?”  
Rafferty paused, and at Christian’s next look took a step back.  
“Avery’s making shields,” he realised aloud.  
“No one’s getting in my head,” Christian assured, “and no one’s getting in Taylor’s. Ever again.”  
“Why do you two look so alike?” Rafferty’s eyes narrowed again.  
“That’s none of your business,” Christian scorned.  
“Neither is my business with John Doe yours,” Rafferty met his gaze, “but I can guarantee both will be revealed eventually.”

Christian frowned at that before looking up as a shadow appeared in the doorway. Taylor was rubbing his hands somewhat nervously.  
“He’s going to be okay,” he told Rafferty, “he just needs to sleep it off.”  
Rafferty sighed with relief.  
“And Penny?” Christian checked.  
“She’ll be fine. But she needs to sleep it off too,” Taylor replied.  
“She’s welcome to use my bed,” Rafferty offered.  
“I’d rather get her home to her own,” Taylor kept the scorn from his voice.  
“Very well,” Rafferty gave him a nod before heading for the bedroom door.  
When he disappeared Christian realised Taylor was giving him a look.  
“What?” he demanded.  
“Are you worried?” Taylor asked.  
“No,” Christian blew off right away, “you guys are fine.”  
Taylor’s eyes went to the door as he heard Rafferty calling for the teleporter.  
“And what about you?” he asked.  
“Huh?”  
“I heard that he’s planning something,” Taylor elaborated, “and that he’s one of the telepaths who gave you the pendant.”  
“Don’t worry about that,” Christian insisted, “he talks big for a little man.”  
“I haven’t forgotten,” Taylor’s eyes dropped to where he was rubbing his wrist, “that I’m the reason you gave that up.”  
“I said don’t worry,” Christian was getting agitated already, “it’s done. It’s over with. I have no unfinished business with these people and they have nothing over me.”  
Taylor’s eyes narrowed as Christian’s pheromones seem to cast off something else entirely. But Rafferty soon returned to the room and he had to put his game face back on.  
“The teleporter will arrive shortly. You should be on your way well before the sun comes up.”  
“Thanks,” Taylor blinked, “in the meantime, I think we need to come to an understanding.”  
“I thought we had one,” Rafferty’s brow rose, Christian frowning behind him.  
“This is a one-off thing,” Taylor insisted, “you do not come to me or my family for help with anything else. We want nothing to do with you or your operations, and we do not need this kind of mark against us. We are honest people who’ve been through a lot, and we are not about to jeopardise our relationships with the Council, with YIRAAS security, or any higher authority. I want you to stay away from us.”  
“Understood,” Rafferty agreed, though there was a twinkle in his eye, “my offer for protection still stands.”  
“How do we contact you?” Taylor wasn’t about to thank him for that.  
“We’ll be watching, you won’t need to,” Rafferty assured.  
“I’m not entirely comfortable with that.”  
“Deal,” Christian folded his arms, “let’s get out of here.”  
Rafferty nodded at that.  
“Follow me when you’re ready,” he offered, once again leaving the room.  
Taylor waited until he was gone before glaring at Christian.  
“Excuse me?” he demanded.  
“You’ve dealt with worse,” Christian scoffed, “besides he doesn’t mean watching like Steel-watching, they’ll just hear if something’s going on. They always do.”  
He turned to follow Rafferty from the room. Taylor grunted to himself before going to collect his daughter. She’d almost fallen asleep herself leaning against the bathtub, the snores from the tiger having become a relaxing rhythm. Having trouble stirring her, he opted to carry her out.

They met the teleporter in the main room and with a quick goodbye to Rafferty arrived back in New York in moments. Once the teleporter had disappeared Taylor set his daughter on Christian’s couch so that he could text his own teleporter.  
“I need to ask you something,” Christian announced as he worked on fixing the door from where it had been broken in.  
“What is it?” Taylor was tired, and not in the mood to argue.  
“It’s about Guffrey.”  
Taylor rolled his eyes at that before standing and turning back to him.  
“According to Rafferty’s sources…” Christian kept working on the door, “they consider you to be working with him.”  
“That’s a lie,” Taylor shrugged, “simple.”  
Christian smirked.  
“What, you don’t believe me?” Taylor frowned, “why would I lie about something like that? In case you forgot, it was my ass that rescued yours from him that day.”  
“I don’t know what to believe when it comes to him,” Christian turned to stare him down, “he knows about Ezra. Why hasn’t he done anything about him?”  
“A question I’ve asked myself a million times, I assure you,” Taylor’s brow furrowed.  
“And he knows about you,” Christian added, “why hasn’t he done anything about you?”  
Taylor knew he was fishing, but he didn’t know what he had to offer. He stopped to think for a time, before suddenly frowning.  
“I have seen Guffrey since,” he finally admitted, making Christian drop what he’d been doing, “he hasn’t approached me but… I’ve seen him around. Just random places.”  
“Nothing about Guffrey is random.”  
“I know, and I am worried,” Taylor admitted, “but he hasn’t done anything that I’m aware of. I just see him.”  
“What are you doing when you see him?”  
“Nothing,” Taylor shrugged, “the first time I was in a park with the kids. But I’ve seen him on tour, I’ve seen him while out to lunch, I’ve seen him while working with the food drive…”  
“But what are you _doing_?” Christian emphasised, “are you translating?”  
Taylor paused again, his mind racing.   
“I don’t know,” he admitted, “maybe. Could he do that?”  
“Never assume that he can’t,” Christian insisted, “he’s probably getting you to translate for him without you even knowing it.”  
Taylor ran his fingers through his hair as he began to feel sick. The idea had never even occurred to him. Guffrey was too hard to read.  
“What can I do about it?” he put his hands on his hips.  
“Nothing,” Christian shrugged, “unless you want to try killing him again.”  
Taylor jumped as Tony appeared, Christian giving him one last look before getting back to the door.  
“Ready to go?” Tony asked.  
“Yeah,” Taylor replied, “thanks.”  
“To Tulsa or Georgia?”  
“Georgia for now, but Nat might want to get home,” Taylor replied, stooping to collect his daughter from where she’d fallen asleep.  
Penny grumbled but didn’t open her eyes.  
Taylor turned back to Christian who was keeping his eyes away.  
“I’ll call you later,” he insisted.  
“Whatever,” Christian was fiddling with the door bolt that had come off in his hands.  
Taylor gave Tony a nod and the three of them were soon back in Georgia. Natalie had been waiting for them, nervously biting at her nails. The first thing she did was take Penny from Taylor’s arms and make him promise ‘never again’.


End file.
